GRADE: ESAM: K-2

CONTENT STANDARD: Life Science

CONTENT TOPIC: Plants

CONCEPT: Each plant has different structures which serve different functions.

CONTENT OBJECTIVE: F1.00 To understand the major parts of a plant

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: The learner will:

1.01 identify the four parts of a flowering plant.
1.02 explain the purpose of each part.

I. Four main parts of a flowering plant
A. Roots
B. Stem
C. Leaves
D. Flowers

TN COMPONENT OF SCIENCE: Habits of Mind

TN GOAL:

To enable students to demonstrate ways of thinking and acting inherent on the practice of science; and to exhibit an awareness of the historical and cultural contributions to the enterprise of science.

3.2 ASSUMPTIONS - The recognition and the criticism of the validity of an argument through presentation of data and differentiation between fact and assumption in the preparation of an explanation for a natural phenomenon are vital parts of the scientific process.

3.2a Science is based upon suppositions derived from observations of natural phenomena.

BENCHMARK: Careful observation can yield scientific knowledge.

TIME REQUIRED:

30 minute session

One potted flowering plant, several flowering plants pulled up by the roots (enough for each table), a bulletin board or a large poster featuring the parts of a plant, a worksheet for each child that matches your board or poster, word cards (Roots, stem, leaves, flower), stalk of celery, 2 cups of different colored water

(Hold up one of your plants.) What is this? (response) Yes, it is a plant. When I look at you, I know you are a person and I can see your different parts. I can see your head, body, arms, and legs. Today, we are going to look at the parts of a plant and learn their names. Over the next two weeks, we will be planting and taking care of our own plants. I want you to know the parts to look for as it grows.

Plants have four (4) major parts. Every part has a job. We are going to start at the bottom of our plant and work our way up. (Use the potted plant) How does my plant look different from the ones on your tables? (response) That is right. Mine is still in the ground and you can't see its ROOTS. (Point to the roots of one of the pulled plants) The roots to this plant are still under ground. Roots hold a plant in place. Roots take water and things from the soil called minerals up to the rest of the plant. Now point to the roots on your plant. Tell your partner what their job is. (response) (Pull your plant so the students can see the roots.) (Take the word card labeled roots and emphasize the "r" sound. Ask a student to find the roots on the bulletin board and label them.)

Next we are to find the STEM. Stems hold up the leaves and flowers. Can you find the stem on your plant? (Demonstrate on your plant.) Stems have little tubes in them that work like a straw. They take water and food to the rest of the plant. (Get your stalk of celery. Explain that it is a stem. Make a long slit into the stem. (Do not cut it in half.) Place half in red colored water and half in blue colored water. Tell the students to watch the celery for changes. NOTE: Half of the celery will turn red, the other half blue as the colored water moves up the stem. Ask the students to predict what will happen.) Find the stem on your plant and tell your partner what it does. (response) Good! A stem holds the leaves and flowers and carries food and water. (Repeat the same procedure for the stem as you did with the roots on your bulletin board.)

Now, let's find the LEAVES and point to them. (response) Great! Leaves have an important job. They make food for the plant. Tell your partner what leaves do. (response) (Repeat bulletin board procedure.)

The last part of a plant that we will study is the FLOWER. Point to the flower on your plant. (response) Good! Flowers come in many different colors, shapes, and sizes. Most flowers are beautiful. But flowers aren't just pretty. They have an important job. They make seeds for the plant. The seeds grow into new plants. Tell your partner the important job flowers have. (response) Good! Flowers make seeds to grow new plants. Tomorrow, we will be planting seeds to grow new plants. Look carefully, do you see the seeds? (Find and show the seeds. Repeat the bulletin board procedure. Point to each part and have the students tell the name and its job.)

(Pass out worksheets with a flowering plant identical to the one on your bulletin board. Have a strip along the bottom with word cards to be cut out.) First, we are going to color our page, then we will cut out our word cards to label our picture. Listen carefully. Find the roots, color them yellow. Find the stem, color it green, (response) Find the leaves, color them green, (response) Find the flower. You may color it whatever color you wish. (response) Now add a few brown dots for seeds in your flower. (response) Cut out your word cards. (response) Find the r-word, roots. Glue it next to the roots. (Repeat same procedure for the other words. When finished, many students enjoy adding details to their picture such as coloring the ground brown, adding insects, grass, blue sky, yellow sun, and butterflies. Allow them to decide. Many enjoy adding a pink worm underground.)

(Students may use the real plant at their table or their sheet.) Put your finger on the roots. (Repeat for other parts) What did you learn about plants today? (response) That's correct. We learned the four major parts of a plant and their job. Let's start at the bottom and name each part one more time. (response) (Pass out drawing paper. Have the studetns draw a plant. Encourage them to include each part. For your more advanced studetns, ask them to label each part also.)

1. Show pictures of fruits and vegetables that we eat. Have the children decide what part of the plant that we are eating. Examples: Carrots-roots; celery-stem; lettuce-leaf; fruits-flowers; peanuts-seeds. Then place in the learning center and allow students to name and classify.

2. Turn your plant bulletin board into a center. Take down the labels and allow the students to label.

3. Allow your students to create their own flowering plants from construction paper, pipe cleaners, wallpaper, etc.

4. Allow your students to create a "food face" using all of the plant's parts.

This is the time this file has been accessed since 03/01/2004.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is not responsible for the information or views expressed here.

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